The Wagon

A woman – tired in her feet, her heart, her soul – pulls a wagon up a hill.

The hill is daunting. It stands between her and her destination, challenging her resolve to move herself and her wagon to its peak.

The woman considers remaining in the valley where all is safe and predictable – a place where she doesn’t have to pull the wagon at all. A place where she can stagnate in comfort.

But the woman doesn’t stand still. She accepts the hill’s challenge.

She pulls the wagon up the hill.

The hill asks her whether she is willing to exert herself – whether she is truly capable of overcoming its obstacle in order to continue her journey at greater elevations.

She is willing. She wants to be capable.

She pulls the wagon up the hill.

The wagon bears the weight of her children. Food for their table. Goods for their home.

But that isn’t what makes the wagon heavy.

What truly gives the wagon its weight is everything the hill would dare her to leave behind.

It’s the weight of her love. Her hope. Her faith.

It’s the weight of her dreams. Her direction. Her purpose.

It’s the weight of her empathy. Her sensitivity. Her fire.

The wagon is filled with the weight of her world.

She pulls the wagon up the hill.

The woman strains. She sweats. She stumbles.

She considers letting the wagon go, releasing her grip and allowing all that weighs her down to fall away.

She is tempted to let the hill have its victory and move forward unencumbered – lighter perhaps, though numb without question.

But the woman doesn’t let go. She grabs the handle even tighter.

She pulls the wagon up the hill.

The woman continues, putting one foot in front of the other, pulling with all her might, motivated by only one certainty – the hill comes to an end.

She believes in the respite that awaits her. She believes in herself and her ability to bear her load to that respite and beyond.

She pulls the wagon up the hill.

Gradually the slope begins to flatten. The hill gives way to steady ground. The wagon starts to glide without effort.

The woman breathes a sigh of relief and contiues down the path.

She was capable.

She pulled the wagon up the hill.